Spiderwebs
by Escape-To-The-Stars
Summary: "If you can cheat, it means that you understand the system. It means that you comprehend how everything works, and that you're smart enough to evade and overcome it."   Slight AU, Slight LXOC, slight MatsuXOC
1. And It Begins

_"It's easy to say things we don't mean, and it's easier still to second guess things we do."_

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* * *

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I've always been an adept liar; capable of telling even the biggest falsehood with ease, and perfectly content to let a fib fall from my lips. And I've never regretted this ability of mine. I've never hated it, and never tried to deny it; after all, why hate something you can't change?

People have tried to correct my way of thinking; to convince me to start telling the truth, all to no avail.

I am the way I am, and if people cannot accept that, then that's their problem, isn't it?

But looking back now, I guess I should have listened to them; I shouldn't have dismissed their words as mere babble meant to distract me from my goals.

Because they had been right; lying was wrong.

And now, because of those pretty little lies I had let slip, and because of the web of falsehoods I had spun, I was caught up in the whirlwind of supposed good versus supposed evil that was known as the Kira Cases.

But let's skip all the boring drama of where, when, why and how I got caught, shall we?

Let's fast forward, or in my case, rewind, seeing as I'm writing this as it has already happened, to the point where the police interrogated me.

The cheap fluorescent light illuminated the even cheaper Formica table that lay between me and the officer, whose name I hadn't bothered to learn.

"Why'd you do it, kid?" He had a thick black mustache, shot through with a few strands of silver.

"Do what?" Always one for the apathy, I was.

"Cheat. Lie. Con." Three words; that was all it took to summarize the past year or so of my life.

"It's because I could." In this case, lying wouldn't have done me any good; I could tell that the policeman was a veteran, and that he was just as good at catching a lie as I was at telling one.

"What do you mean?" His tone held real confusion and bewilderment; he was probably wondering how someone as seemingly young and innocent as I was could have done what I did, and how I could answer in the way I had with such a blasé attitude.

"Simple. I wanted to know if I could pull it off."

The mustachioed man didn't seem to understand what I meant.

"Look," I clasped my hands together, leaning towards the officer, "if you can cheat, it means that you understand the system. It means that you comprehend how everything works, and that you're smart enough to evade and overcome it."

"So you did it, if I understood clearly, because you wanted to see if you understood the system?"

"Yup. Exactly that. I've always been a smart kid, no shame in denying that, and that means that I'm pretty easily bored. I thought that this might be able to amuse me for a while; and I was right, it was."

A sigh escaped the lips of the _gendarme_ as he studied me, trying to figure out what to do with me.

"You're one messed up kid then, you know that right?"

At least he was honest.

"I know." I grinned back wolfishly.

"Well then, this interview is over." He got up from his chair with a groan. "You can wait in the lobby until we decide what to do with you."

"Yes sir." I too rose from my chair, glad to be able to get away from this room and its shabby furnishings.

And this is where my story gets interesting; where the plot of my escapade really thickens.

However, before I tell you how it all went down and how it all started, I want to make sure one thing is clear; I never regretted what I did. Never.

Life is too damn short to regret anything.

Sure, people will say that life's the longest thing we'll ever do, and I'll give them that. But there's no guarantee that you'll live to the ripe old age of 90, or any such age.

There's no guarantee that you won't get run over by a car, hit by a train or caught in gang crossfire tomorrow.

Which is why I refused to regret what I did; refused to second-guess my decisions and choices; it's because I didn't want to die with doubt and dissatisfaction in my heart.

So now let's step back into that slightly-run down police department, step back into my shoes as they were almost eleven months ago.

It took all of five minutes for them to decide what to do with me (although I now know that L pulled some strings for me, and that their decision hadn't been entirely their own).

"Well, I'd count my blessing if I were you, kid." It was the same man as before, the one who had 'interviewed' me.

"Why would I do that?" A lazily confident tone crept into my voice as I looked up at him.

"Because you're free." He seemed to wonder what the hell had made them decide that.

"Whaddya mean, 'free'?"

"Well… not free exactly, but you're getting off without any charges."

"…What's the catch?"

He grinned, his mustache rippling. "You really are a bright kid, aren't you? Well, in this case, the catch is that a certain detective has asked for your assistance in a case. Help him out and we'll wipe your slate clean."

I stared in disbelief, wondering aloud if he was pulling my leg (although in less polite terms, I'm afraid to say).

"Nope."

"Hmph."

"You're probably wondering who the detective is, aren't you?" His grin was still present, stretching his face.

"You know me too well, officer." I used a mock-breathless tone, my eyelashes fluttering.

"Very funny, kid." The officer was not amused. "I'll tell you anyways though. It's L."

I think that's about where I passed out, whether it be from the shock, or the dehydration, I'm not sure.

But all I know is that when I woke up, two eyes were peering at me, and I was most definitely not in the station anymore.

* * *

This would be my first time publishing a story on FF, so any feedback would be very much appreciated~.

Flame if you want, but, honestly? Compared to some of the crap I've read on this website, I'd like to think of my story as pretty 'decent'. Just sayin'. Some of you might disagree, but that's your opinion and you are very much free to share it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. 8D

~Ri


	2. The Introduction

I forgot to do this last chapter, but I don't own anything except for my own ideas, my (for the moment) nameless OC, and well, a few other thigns that aren't really anyway related to the plot of this story, save for creative purposes and references. Or something.

Death Note belongs to Tsugumi Ohba, and Takeshi Obata, and whoever published and animated it. I'm not really sure which company it is.

But either way; I don't own L, Light, Matsu-pyon or any of the other Death Note characters.

Just thought I'd let y'all know. :D

* * *

Needless to say I was thoroughly disturbed when I woke up; I think everyone would be if they woke up to find themselves in a completely different _building_ then where they had fallen asleep.

"Good. You're awake."

"Who the hell are you?" Were the first words that sprang out of my mouth as I sat up, still dazed.

"You can call me Ryuuzaki."

And that's how I met him; the man who changed my life, whether it be for better or for worse, I'm honestly not too sure at the moment.

Obviously, I didn't believe for a minute that his name was truly Ryuuzaki; I wasn't a complete idiot, and I knew without a doubt that he was using a fake name.

"I suppose you want to talk to L." He mumbled, his eyes leaving mine to focus on the slice of cake that sat on the table between us.

"Not particularly. I'd much rather know where I am."

I think, looking back now, that my answer may have surprised him, as much as one could surprise one of his intellectual caliber, anyways.

"Headquarters." His answer was muffled by the cake he had just previously put in his mouth.

"For the Kira Case." It hadn't been a question. Even now, I'm not sure if the smile he shot me was one of slight admiration, or one out of peevish annoyance that I'd taken away the glory of the reveal.

"How did you guess?"

"Biggest case out there at the moment. Only one that would interest someone as famously picky as L."

"Intriguing idea."

"Thank you. Where is L anyways? I'd think he'd want to make sure I wasn't a total idiot."

"He trusts my judgment."

"If you say so."

And that was that; I was in.

In a way, I guess I could say that the rest is history; I was later introduced to the rest of the team, all of which were male and from the Japanese Police Force.

These men, most of which seemed to be hardened officers, were wary to trust one of my 'shifty disposition and criminal record', as a man I would later learn to be named Matsuda, told me. At first, they were reluctant to tell me anything of the recent deaths, and any insight they had into the steadily growing figurehead that was Kira.

Eventually however, they learned to accept me. I now believe that Ryuuzaki, as I knew him at the time, had said a few words to them.

In the days that followed, I gradually adjusted to the odd hours Ryuuzaki made us keep.

A bombshell was dropped on us a while later; twelve FBI agents who had secretly come to Japan at the request of L had been killed by Kira.

And thus began our investigation.

But before I continue with the recounting of my tale, I'd like to let you know my views on Kira and his actions. I am under the belief that it will help explain my future actions and decisions, for without this piece of knowledge, I know that many will not understand my motives.

Even as a young teenager, I was always split on the concept of the death penalty, which is what I believe Kira was exacting, except on a much bigger scale.

The thought of killing someone to save others had always befuddled me, and the question of right and wrong always weighed heavily on my mind whenever the idea would come up, whether it be in class or in casual conversation.

Especially now, knowing what Kira's true motives were, I am unsure of my opinion of him, for I know now that Kira was male. I know not if he should be truly labeled as a 'murderer', or a 'sinner', nor do I know if he should be made into a Saint, as I know many whose lives had been saved by Kira have done.

He wanted to clean the world of filth, and make it a better place for others, and to do such a thing, he had to resort to what could be considered mass murder.

In a way, he could be considered a martyr; he died for what he believed in.

In another way, he could be considered an extremist; to change the world, he eliminated those that polluted it, thus turning himself into that which he strived to destroy.

I know some of you may not understand what I'm trying to convey; some days, even I myself don't fully understand my opinion of the man that took the world by storm.

But what I'm trying to say is that I never once thought Kira was evil; misguided and slightly delusional, yes, but never once did I think him devil incarnate.

Please keep this in mind as you continue reading on, because I don't want to be mistaken for someone I am not.

I was a devout L follower during the Kira Cases, and I will always be. Never once forget that, because it is one of the things that truly defines me.

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A/N:

First off, I want to thank **Shadow-Chan 4** for the review and the favourite, as well as **Bittersweet Freedom **and **suredywordy **for the favourites.

It really means a lot~

Secondly, I'd like to mention that I will be taking some creative liberties with this story (there's a reason it says _Slight AU_ in the summary). The reason for this is that, well, I haven't sat down and either read or watched Death Note in about two years. So I apologize if anybody seems slightly OOC.

I will be, however, using Death Note 13: How To Read for dates, character profiles, the rules regarding the use of the Death Note, and other fun stuff like that.

[1] And as far as I know the dates are more or less correct; My OC was introduced on the second (2nd) of January, which is roughly two days after the Task Force first meets L. Again; these dates are taken from How To Read, and seemed to make sense, so I apologize if they're wrong (but again, creative liberties~).

Feedback of any sort is adored, but reviews are would literally make my day. They would. They might even make my week. 8D

_AUGUST 30TH, 2011_

_UPDATE_

_This is the 'new' Chapter 2._

_It's not much different, to be honest. There are a few paragraphs taken out._

_This is for the sake of the plot, and because I want to remain as true to the original plot as I can._

_I really thank you guys for your patience, and I hope you enjoy!_


	3. The Envelope

Sorry for all the confusion and delay, guys!

This is the new chapter 3. The old chapter 3 will be relegated back to chapter 4 or 5, depending on how big I want to make the next chapter.

A good part of the dialogue is taken directly from the English dub of Death Note, which I do not own.

I truly am sorry for the huge delay it took to get this up, and I'm working on the next chapter now!

It should be up sometime tonight, if all things go well!

* * *

Our job was simple; review the tapes and records, and find any irregularities or facts that would help us, firstly, determine how the FBI agents had been discovered, and secondly, give us clues that would lead to Kira's identity.

Needless to say, it was a long night and we were all tired, and had yet to make any real progress.

Until we started to re-watch the scene of Raye Penber's death, that is.

"So, based on the records that I have here, Raye Penber comes through the west entrance of Shinjuku station at 3:11 pm. Then at 3:13 he boards a train on the Yamanote line, but even if he was following someone at that time, I think it's going to be very difficult for us to draw any real conclusions from this blurry video… Then at exactly 4:42 pm…" Matsuda's attention was diverted by an ice cream cone. "Ah, thank you very much Watari. Um, at 4:42 pm, he exits the train at Tokyo station, and dies on the platform."

Another ice cream obstructed my vision, and I can't help but admit that I was momentarily distracted by the odd colouring and the coldness that sent a shock through my teeth as I bit into it.

I looked up to smile thankfully at Watari, before returning my attention to the conversation as well as the surveillance video.

The arm holding my ice cream shot suddenly towards the screen. "H-hey!" I couldn't help the shout that escaped me, nor could I prevent the smile that tugged at my mouth.

"What is it, Miyu?" Ryuuzaki questioned, his own eyes never leaving the now frozen picture.

"Yeah, what's up? You almost gave me a heart attack!" Matsuda laughed nervously, his hand tugging at the nape of his neck.

"The envelope." I announced proudly, once again pointing at the screen with the cone.

"Please be careful with that, Miss." Watari reprimanded me gently.

"Ah, sorry. But seriously guys! Look at Raye!" Only blank stares met mine.

"She's right. Raye seems to be holding what looks like an envelope when he passes through the ticker gate."

"You two are right! It's there, under his arm! But in the footage right before his death, it's gone! I can't believe you guys actually caught that!" Aizawa looked stunned.

"Well, I don't see an envelope on this list of his personal effects." Yagami was a bit more calm as he scanned over the papers in his hands.

"Which means…" Ryuuzaki began.

"It was left on the train!" I interrupted joyously.

"Indeed it was. And if you look closely at the very end here, it seems like he's straining to look inside the train before the doors close. You can see right here." Ryuuzaki paused the video, and nodded at the screen.

"If that's the case, do you think this could mean something?" Yagami asked, a small frown creasing his brow.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if Kira was on that train?" The question didn't seem to be directed at anyone.

"That's impossible!" The Chief seemed bewildered.

"I admit, I find it hard to believe as well. There's no reason for Kira to come to the scene of his own crime when he can kill from a distance…" Ryuuzaki trailed off, pausing to lick his ice cream.

"Well, maybe he was counting on us to make that assumption, and figured he could get away with it." I offered tentatively.

"Hmm… It's a sound assumption, but for now, we can neither confirm nor deny Kira's presence on that train…" Ryuuzaki slowly rose from his awkward perch on the sofa, before shambling away to another room.

"Wait, does that mean we're done for the night?" Matsuda wondered aloud, a wisp of hope in his gaze.

"Yes, it does. Good night." Ryuuzaki called from the other room.

With a shrug, I stood up. "Well, good night then, guys… We really made some progress, I think."

They all mumbled their goodbyes, clearly too tired for any real response.


	4. The Discovery and The Surveillance

_Still don't own Death Note, sadly._

_This one's a bit longer, and I suppose the original chapter 3 will be relegated to next chapter, or so, provided I choose to include it._

_I really hope you enjoy~! _

_Reviews make my day. :D_

_And once again, most of the dialogue was taken almost word for word from the English dub, which I also do not own. _

* * *

It was a day or two after we had discovered the abnormality of Raye Penber's death that Watari received a phone call from Ukita.

Someone had called into the tip line with a tidbit of information interesting enough to be heard by Ryuuzaki.

"Give him the number for line five, and ask the informant to call that line instead." The black haired man commanded his hands still in his pockets before turning to face Matsuda and I. "Matsuda, it's okay for you to turn on your cell phone now. Actually, please turn it on right away."

Matsuda obliged, and not a second after he had turned his phone on, it rang.

Ryuuzaki deftly snatched it out of his hands, leaving us both surprised.

Who had known Ryuuzaki could be so quick?

"Yeah, this is Suzuki, head of the Kira Investigation Public Information Division." Ryuuzaki answered in a falsely deep voice.

Matsuda and I looked at each other, still bewildered and slightly amused.

"Raye Penber's fiancée?" The tone in Ryuuzaki's voice made us turn around to face him. "Naomi Misora?" This was directed towards Watari, who immediately started typing on the laptop before him.

"I've heard that name before…" Ryuuzaki murmured under his breath.

Watari merely turned the screen around; showing Ryuuzaki what seemed to be a biography of sorts. Something about the face on the computer screen made Ryuuzaki freeze.

Matsuda and I shared another look, before turning around fully to try and get a look at the person who had caused Ryuuzaki to react in the way he had.

He hung up suddenly after a few moments of silence, before starting to walk away.

"Apparently she's been missing since the day after her fiancée died…"

"I'm sure that anyone in that situation would be pretty depressed… Was it-" Matsuda began.

"Suicide?" Aizawa was grim.

"No. The Naomi Misora I knew was strong, not to mention she was also an excellent FBI agent… If anything, it's more likely she'd be trying to catch Kira… It appears she came to Japan with Penber.. It's possible she may have found a lead…" Ryuuzaki went quiet, his thumb caught between his teeth, clearly his thinking habit.

"Everyone. From this point on I'd like to focus our investigation on only those people Raye Penber was tailing. In particular, he was assigned to two police officers and those closest to them…"

"Very well. Who are these two individuals he was investigating?" Soichiro asked.

"Deputy Director Kitamura, along with Detective Super Intendant Yagami and their families." Ryuuzaki said it in a matter of fact way, as if the invasion of their privacy was nothing to be concerned about.

Yagami gasped, a look of horror painting his face.

"At this stage I'd like to place wire taps and surveillance cameras in both households." Ryuuzaki was staring directly at the Chief now, with a slightly somber expression.

"Surveillance cameras? Ryuuzaki!" Matsuda was horrified.

"I don't see how you could even consider this! If this got out, we'd have a civil rights scandal on our hands. We'd all lose our jobs!" Rage and disbelief were clearly heard in Aizawa's voice.

"You told me you were willing to risk your lives for this investigation, but you wouldn't risk your jobs?" A note of scorn and a look of distaste were painfully evident on Ryuuzaki's face.

The three men all froze, before Soichiro finally broke the quiet. "Ryuuzaki, what are the odds of Kira being one in one of those households?"

Ryuuzaki seemed to ponder it for a moment, his left foot scratching at the carpet. "Maybe ten percent… No, it's closer to five percent."

"Seriously?" Matsuda questioned. "I'm sorry but it's not worth the risk."

"No." Yagami's voice was hard as he turned to them. "Of all the people we've investigated so far, not one of them seemed even the least bit suspicious. Even if there's only a one percent chance, we simply can't afford to ignore it."

"Chief?"

Sochiro turned his gaze to Ryuuzaki. "I don't have to tell you how offended I am to learn my family is under suspicion. Having said that, just go ahead with it… And make sure you install them everywhere; I don't want any blind spots in the house, and that includes the bathroom."

Ryuuzaki merely nodded. "Thank you very much; that was my intention. "

"Come on chief! You don't have to agree to this!"

"Yes he's right! Think about your family! You have a wife and daughter at home, don't you?"

Yagami turned around to glare at the other two policemen, his rage and impatience knitting his eyebrows together. "Yes, I'm aware of that fact! But there is no point in doing any of this if we can't be thorough. Now I suggest you keep quiet!"

"He's got a point." I murmured, unheard by all.

"S-sorry."

"No, it's okay… Excuse me." And with that, Yagami walked away, obviously to clear his head and dispel his anger.

Ryuuzaki merely watched him walk away, before moving to crouch beside me on the sofa.

"As a couresty to Mr. Yagami and his family, only he, Miyu and I will conduct surveillance of their home." He glanced at me, a question in his eyes.

I nodded in confirmation before turning back to the window.

"Watari, how long will it take to prepare the wire taps and cameras we need?"

The old man looked up from his computer, a thoughtful expression dominating his peaceful features. "Well, starting tomorrow, I can set them up at any time, provided we know when both houses will be empty… "

"Good."


	5. The Jealousy

Still don't own Death Note.

This takes place in the hours right before Light comes home from school, where he discovers the surveillance cameras and wire taps.

It's the original chapter 3, more or less, and I thought it was a wee bit relevant. It's shorter than usual, but hey, it's my third update today. -.-

Gimme a break, guys.

I hope you guys enjoy~!

* * *

It was a while after the strange phone call that I noticed a slight gloominess that seemed to permeate any room that Ryuuzaki was in.

As a matter of fact, the usual apathy and lack of concern for others that was Ryuuzaki's standard emotional setting was gone, replaced instead by a certain sense of misery.

The others however, seemed not to notice, or pretended not to.

I chose to follow their lead, and ignore the brooding Ryuuzaki, but after a few hours in his presence, I snapped.

This man was supposed to be an invincible superpower; one of the greatest minds of the century, and yet, here he was, showing human weakness. The Great L, (for he had confided in me his secret a few days prior) wasn't supposed to do such things.

It didn't compute.

So I broke, and demanded to know why he was so upset.

Of course, he denied any such thing, but being so well versed in the art of deceit, I call him out for his pitiful lie; which, in retrospect was probably the reaction he had wanted, or at least had anticipated.

"The woman Kira killed was close to me." He told me with certain indifference, his eyes avoiding mine. [1]

"That sucks." What else could I have said? A 'sorry' certainly wouldn't have been appropriate, and I didn't know either Ryuuzaki, or the deceased well enough to say anything in the slightest bit personalized.

"I suppose. We weren't very close."

"… But you just said you'd lost someone close to you." I frowned, trying to make sense of his latest comments.

"Did I? I meant that she was of some importance to me; to say that we were close in the emotional sense would be a far cry from the truth."

"Oh."

"Indeed." He turned away again, his long fingers toying with a small metal fork "In a way, it's a shame she's dead. But as it is, there is no point in lingering over her death: it cannot be changed, and my time and efforts could be much better spent." And with that, he walked away, leaving me to deal with the sense of unwarranted resentment towards this mysterious figure from Ryuuzaki's past.

The sofa creaked and dipped slightly as someone else sat down.

"Any idea what's wrong with him?" It was Matsuda, the friendliest of the surly policement.

I frowned at his question, unsure if I wanted to disclose this precious tidbit of information granted to me by Ryuuzaki.

I decided I didn't. "No, not entirely."

"Damn." He laughed nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

"Why do you do that?" I asked aloud, not really thinking.

His hand dropped. "Do what?"

"Scratch the back of your neck like that. You seem to do it all the time."

"Oh, um… It's a habit, I guess." Another laugh, another scratch at the back of his neck.

"Hm. Alright then." It's pointless to mention my general lack of tact, and my ability to make people feel uncomfortable.

"… The weather's been nice lately, hasn't it?" He laughed nervously.

I joined him with little hesitation, glad to be granted a reprieve from what would have undoubtedly been an awkward silence. "I suppose it has, Matsuda. I suppose it has.

"As it is, I should probably go back to the surveillance…" A nervous laugh forced itself out of my throat.

"Y-yeah… Right."

We both rose, and with an awkward smile, I brushed past him, pushing aside the news I had been given, resigning myself to a later examination of the feelings of jealousy that had been brought on Ryuuzaki's words.


End file.
